Photographic film spool



. 1936- v w. A. HALLETT ET- AL 2,051,212

PHOTOGRAPH IC FILM SPOOL Filed March 28, 1935 wwtnwtow mzzmAHaiw &

Patented Aug. 18, 1936 V PATENT OFFICE PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM SPOOL William A. Hallett and Maynard D. Lee, Rochester, N. Y., assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 28, 1935, Serial No. 13,404

5 Claims. (Cl. 242-71) This invention relates to spools, and particularly to spools which are adapted for receiving convolutions of film and light protecting paper for photographic purposes.

I One object of our invention is to provide a simple type of all-metal film spool which is inexpensive to make and which is strong. Another object of our invention is to provide a film spool with a key-winding slot which is sufiiciently 10 strong to withstand the twisting action of a comparatively small film winding key without becoming distorted. Another object of our invention is to provide a tubular sheet metal hub so shaped that it may form a trunnion for the spool,

15 the extreme end of which is provided with a transverse, narrow slot for receiving a winding key, and other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end 9 thereof.

Coming now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a spool constructed in accordance with and illustrating a preferred embodiment of our invention.

Fig. 2 is an endview of the spool shown in Fig. 1, but on a somewhat enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

90 Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary end elevation showing the slotted end of the film spool with a winding key in place.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of the slotted hub end.

The present trend in camera. construction is to produce extremely small cameras requiring small and light-weight film spools. It is somewhat diflicult to provide in such spools a slot for the reception of a small winding key which will properly 40 receive the winding key and which will not become distorted or misplaced by turning the key.

In Fig. 1 we have shown a preferred embodiment of our invention designed to overcome the present difiiculties. In accordance with this fig- 45 ure, the spool may be formed of a core I which is preferably made from a sheet metal blank rolled up into substantially cylindrical form. The edges of the blank may abut each other along the line 2, and we prefer to form a slot 3 in one side,

50 somewhat longer than the slot 4 in the other side of the film spool, as is customary for receiving the end of the film backing paper.

On the ends of the sheet metal huh I, there are flanges 5, these fianges being attached to the hub 55 in any desired manner, such as by staking. As

indicated in Fig. 2, the flanges may be staked on by a tool which forms a plurality of indentations 6 which, as shown in Fig. 3, cause a small amount of the metal from the film flanges-5 to u be forced downwardly into the hub l, as indi- 5- cated at 1. These indentations securely hold the film spool fianges'on the hub.

If desired, the hub member I may be provided with an annular shoulder 8 against which the inside edge of a flange 5 may rest, as this some- 10 what strengthens the spool.

Our invention is particularly directed to th slotted end of the film spool. While it is cus' tomary to provide a slot on only one end, as shown in Fig. 1, it is sometimes necessary or desirable to slot both ends.

As will be seenfrom Fig. 1, the spool is provided with a pair of trunnions 9 and NJ on which the spool may turn, these trunnions being substantial 1y cylindrical in shape throughout the greater 0 portion of their length. Trunnion 9, which is here shown as not being slotted, is cylindrical throughout its length, whereas trunnion II], which includes a slot I l for receiving a film winding key, is cylindrical throughout the greater portion of its length, but toward the outer end of the trunnion, the cylindrical metal walls I are deformed by forcing the metal inwardly so that the extreme end of the trunnion is provided with a pair of spaced, parallel, outwardly facing metal edges I3 which form walls of the slot l l extending transversely of the film core.

Referring particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the outwardly facing parallel walls l3 leave an accurately spaced slot H for the reception of a film winding key I4. With the walls extending transversely of the core member I, it is immaterial whether the winding key M, which is carried by a shaft I5, is accurately centered with regard to the hub, because the walls 13 so closely approach the walls of the winding key l4 that there is no possibility of the key becoming dislodged and distorting or tearing the metal in the end of the hub as is sometimes the case with known types of spools.

Fig. 5 shows a slight modification over the type of slot shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 3 and in the preceding figures, the metallic walls of the spool trunnion l0 are deformed by bending the metal into intersecting curves; 5 as is shown at I6 and I! of Fig. 3. This type of key slot can be readily formed by the proper tools and is well suited for film spools of sufiicient size 150 p rmit the walls to be deformed in this manner,

7 However, in extremely small spools, it may be necessary to form the metal inwardly at a sharp angle, as is shown in Fig. 5. In this figure the spool trunnion 30 is provided with a shoulder 3| wardly toward the center of the core.

spool as'do the flanges l3 ofthe first described embodiment'of our invention. r e a d This type of spool has the advantage thatan extremely small area near the end of the trunnion is distorted so'that a considerablearea of the trunnion 3flfis left on which'thejkey' end-ef the spool, may rotate, This is desirable inthe case 'of extremely small spools, although the forming operation is somewhat" ,niore 'd-iflicult than is necessary forthe preferred embodiment offour invention.

both embodiments of our invention it should benoted that the key slot consists of two; parallel, spaced apart metal edgeswhich face outwar-dly toward the end of the spool and which form between them rigid edges for .a slot to re-.

7 ceivethe film winding key.

. Since the metal is deformed from a cylindrical shape to form these edges, the deforming operation actually reinforces or strengthens the walls of the slot, and we have found that such edges are entirely satisfactory with the various types of Win-ding keys used now on the market; c

Having thus described our invention, what we on small cameras claim as new anddesire to'be securedbyLetters Patent of the United States is: V

1. A film spool for photographic cameras-in- V eluding. a one piece tubular sheet metalhub,

spaced flanges carried by-the hub, said'hubibee ing slotted :at at least one end, the slotted end ofthe hub including a relatively small area of the hub at the end-of the'slot in which the metal of V the hub is deformed inwardly toward; the slot,

closing the tubular end except for the slot, the

end walls of the deformed portion forming par- V allel, spaced -metallic edges facing outwardly from V the core at the-extreme end of the spool, whereby a slot is formed by' the sides of said edges to receive a winding key. v

2. A core for film spool comprising a single sheet of metal rolled up into substantially cylina drical form, at least one end of the cylinder including small wall portions deformed on two sides toward the center of the cylinder partially 7 closing the cylinder, said deformed walls termithe parallel walls extending completely across the end of the hub and projecting outwardly therefrom. a

sheet of metal rolledup" into substantially cylindrical shape throughout all of its length except for. a small portion at the extreme end thereof,

at which portion the metal is compressed from ,TbOth sides to partially fill the opening in the cylindrical hub, said compressed portion terminating at the extreme end of the hub inparallel V metallic edges "facing and extending outwardly from the cylindrical portion of the core and ex? tending transversely of the cylindrical member andspaced to leave a slot the-rebetween.

4. A film spool for .photographic'cameras ineluding a one-piece sheet metal tube forming a hub, flanges carried bythe hub, at least one end nating at the extreme end in parallel relation, 7

3. A core for film spool comprising a single of the hub including a deformed metal end pa-r- 1 tiallyenclosing theend of the tube, the end terminating in a pair of parallel spaced edges, projecting outwardly from the hub and forming betweenthem a slot adapted to receive a winding key. a

'5. A filmspool for photographic cameras including aone-piece sheet metal tube constituting a hub, flanges carried by the hub and spaced from the ends thereof whereby the ends of the 7 tube constitute trunnions of substantially cylindrical shape on which the spoolv may turn, the metal near the end of at least one trunnion being deformed from its eylindrical shape to partially enclose the end of the tube and terminate a ing' in two. parallel metal edgesspaced apart and extending outwardly from. the hub forming a slot therebetween adapted to receive a winding key.

WILLIAM A. MAYNARD D. LEE. 

